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AbstractThe public sector in Africa is riddled with widespread ineffectiveness. Although some countries have implemented various reform programmes with the support of international development agencies, the results so far have been disappointing. One reason for the failure is that the policies have focussed more on achieving macroeconomic stability than making the organisations effective. This article explores a fundamental problem of the policies—the need to focus on the human component of organisational performance. Using education and health organisations in Ghana as examples, the article advances a hypothesis that the livelihood strategies of public sector employees and the performance of their organisations are interconnected. Specifically, it is argued that as public sector employees have become more dependent on multiple sources of income, they have developed multiple social identities, which influence the culture of their organisations. The organisational culture may have encouraged employee effectiveness in some cases, but for most organisations, it has resulted in practices that perpetuate inefficiency and poor performance. To be successful, public sector reform policies must therefore involve deliberate efforts to change organisational cultures. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The public sector in Africa is riddled with widespread ineffectiveness. Although some countries have implemented various reform programmes with the support of international development agencies, the results so far have been disappointing. One reason for the failure is that the policies have focussed more on achieving macroeconomic stability than making the organisations effective. This article explores a fundamental problem of the policies - the need to focus on the human component of organisational performance. Using education and health organisations in Ghana as examples, the article advances a hypothesis that the livelihood strategies of public sector employees and the performance of their organisations are interconnected. Specifically, it is argued that as public sector employees have become more dependent on multiple sources of income, they have developed multiple social identities, which influence the culture of their organisations. The organisational culture may have encouraged employee effectiveness in some cases, but for most organisations, it has resulted in practices that perpetuate inefficiency and poor performance. To be successful, public sector reform policies must therefore involve deliberate efforts to change organisationsl cultures. (InWent/DÜI)

Reforming Africa's public sector has been on the agenda of African governments and their development partners for decades and yet the problem persists. This failure can be attributed to two related factors: solutions to the 'African public sector problem' have been dictated by external interests, and the policies have ignored the experiences of organizations within those countries. This article contributes to the search for effective reform policies by making the case for inclusion of the experiences of organizations within each country. Using the concept of organizational culture as a framework, I propose an approach based on the following claims: In every country there are some public organizations that perform relatively well, given their constraints; there is the need to understand why and how there are poor and good performing organizations within the same country; and information from such analysis should form the basis of public sector reform policies. The applicability of the approach is demonstrated with a study of Ghana.

Is globalization good for Africa? Pádraig Carmody explores the evolving nature and impact of globalization throughout the continent, as China, the US, and other economic powers exert their influence. Drawing especially on the cases of Chad, Sudan, and Zambia, Carmody considers whether the resource curse that has for so long plagued Africa can become a blessing. He also evaluates the impact of the information technology revolution and the recent global economic slowdown. In the context of carefully articulated historical dynamics, he provocatively assesses the new role of Africa in the global economy

Capacity Development and Natural Resources Management in Africa investigates well-known concerns in natural resource management while focusing on the capacity dimension of the problems. It examines dynamics of leadership, governance, criminality, structural transformation, as well as emerging issues such as green growth. Given the limited capacity of many African countries, capacity development measures for reducing the information and power asymmetry between African states and their global counterparts are critical. The authors acknowledge that the development of any society depends on the availability and condition of its human and natural resources. Political leadership sets the tone for the institutional stability required for environmental sustainability and development. Equally important, however, is the role of civil society in acting as watchdogs over how leaders manage or make use of natural resources for national development.